Ayatollah Qassem: Time for Reform in Bahrain Today, Surely Not Tomorrow

Bahrain’s leading cleric, Ayatollah Sheikh Issa al-Qassem warned that the political reform delay could lead to a national catastrophe, stressing that “the time for reform is today and surely not tomorrow.”

In a statement released late Sunday, Ayatollah Qassem lashed out at Al Khalifa regime over what he called the false slogans of reform in Bahrain.

No one can deny the corruption in the country, the leading cleric said, citing human rights watchdogs which have been calling for the release of the detainees and the political figures, in the forefront Sheikh Ali Salman, the Secretary General of main opposition group, al-Wefaq, who has been in for weeks in custody.

If the reform is certain, and its delay could lead to a national catastrophe, then why should we wait till tomorrow?, Sheikh Qassem wondered.

The time for reform is today, and surely not tomorrow, his eminence concluded his statement.